My Dream Home

Photo by Binyamin Mellish on Pexels.com

As a young girl with my head in the clouds, I used to dream about this house with a white picket fence around it. It wasn’t anything special but that fence made it extra special. Go figure!

Fast forward to the here and now and it is the home I currently live in. It was the house we (my husband and I) bought when we were looking for a place of our own. I recall he did not want it as it wasn’t big enough but I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. It did not have a white picket fence but a wooden one and it was good enough for me. Today, it does have one, a white fence out front and a green one surrounding the house.

It is too big for one person and some of the rooms are unused but there is something comforting about it. It just feels like home and that makes it my dream home. The furnishing within is of the eclectic kind, lots of antiques mixed in with modern pieces and somehow it all blends together into a cohesive mix. Again, it exudes charm, warmth and a sense of cosiness. The nicest thing about it is that “nature” in all its rambling beauty is just minutes away!

Daily writing prompt
Write about your dream home.

Some Great News?

Photo by Matheus Bertelli on Pexels.com

I guess if I woke up one morning and I find out that I’ve won the lottery, now, that would be great news! Not a chance of that happening but if it did, I think I would go silent probably out of shock! Financial independence gives a false sense of security I think because there are other things needed to round off that security issue but “money” does help as we all know and no matter how much we have, we always want more, human nature I supp0se. So go silent first and then jump for joy!

If that is not in the cards, a call or text from publisher saying that the book is FINALLY ready to be published will probably do it. If I got that message, I would be over the moon. It has been a long long wait and patience is wearing thin but all good things take time as they say and I am trying to bite the bullet and not OVERTHINK as I usually do!

Will it happen? I’m not holding my breath but it would be a great surprise and one to my liking. Universe do your thing and the people responsible for getting the book out, you need to get moving!

Daily writing prompt
You get some great, amazingly fantastic news. What’s the first thing you do?

Lost Hobbies and Activities

Photo by Nihal Avşar on Pexels.com

Reading used to be a hobby I indulged in with a passion. I used to have my nose in books every chance I got but it is no longer the case now. I do miss the days of traveling without leaving home, of visiting faraway lands, of kissing princes who were not “frogs” and of living a fairytale existence. I reveled in “happy ever afters” and I let the imaginary world guide my existence. I loved it all. Then I discovered writing and realized that I could do the same and my world took off running and reading was put on the backburner. I still read but when I need to have my nose in a book, it is of the cookbook variety!

Jogging was an activity I thoroughly enjoyed. I remember meeting up with a group of friends at around 5:00 a.m. as we headed off for a three-mile jog. The world was still asleep while the group of us took off pounding the pavement all the time talking and laughing about nothing in particular. The joints were working fine then and “youth” kept us going. I gave it up in my 20s because I read somewhere that it (jogging) put too much stress on the joints and could cause problems later on. I decided to err on the side of caution and took to walking instead. It has been a safer choice and serves me well.

If I could, I would love to get back to reading but somehow I can’t. I don’t know why. I do miss those days but I guess time changes things and who knows at some point I might go back to it but just not right now. Jogging is done with. I can’t see myself doing that ever again. The closest I get to jogging these days is running on the spot but that too only for a few minutes at a time!

Time changes things.

Daily writing prompt
Are there any activities or hobbies you’ve outgrown or lost interest in over time?

Candy Time?

Photo by Ylanite Koppens on Pexels.com

I don’t have a sweet tooth so I stay away from candies, pastries, cookies and the like. I do like cheesecake, my one sin as I call it but I have a handle on it now so no excessive imbuing of cheesecakes either!

Living a healthy life is at the top of my agenda so instead of reaching for something sweet when stress hits, I put on my shoes and head out the door for 30 minutes of nature and that usually fixes my craving and all my woes.

If there is one thing that I’m into on those rare moments when I need something sweet, it is a special kind of chocolate with hazelnuts. It is made with no sugar, no artificial sweeteners and is low carb. However, it is expensive so I don’t reach for it often which is a good thing. Just to whet the appetite and a small piece at a time does the trick!

No fun? Well, it works for me and that “no sugar, no nothing chocolate” does taste great.

Daily writing prompt
What’s your favorite candy?

I Need a Break…

Photo by DSD on Pexels.com

I need a break from overthinking! It is a problem that I deal with everyday. No matter what happens in my life or doesn’t happen, I am in the overthinking mode! It takes hold and I bring different scenarios into the picture AND spend time working on solutions for non-existent problems!

It is a waste of time I know but at times I can’t control my mind. I call it the “monkey” because it hops around too much and runs the gamut without an okay from me! It also keeps me from the task at hand because I’m busy chasing it around! Perhaps, all or some writers have that problem. We are creative people and imagination runs wild, it does with me anyway.

I am reeling it in by concentrating on the here and now. This method works but not always because I love being in that imaginary world where the “monkey” has the upper hand. Walking helps and being out in nature definitely helps to soothe the mind and to calm it, meditation does too but it is constant work to keep it in check and it is tiring to say the least. So, I need a break from constant overthinking.

Photo by prasanthdas ds on Pexels.com
Daily writing prompt
Do you need a break? From what?

Handy Little Gadget

Photo by Tracy Le Blanc on Pexels.com

I would say it is the cell phone, handy or the mobile phone depending on where you’re at. This handy little gadget came on the scene in 1973 and back then it was a brick sized affair with very few features. It was created by Martin Cooper but he didn’t know then that his creation would take the world by storm, it was just a matter of time.

Independence from the norm and the ability to call from anywhere for help or just to talk made it a must have. Later, it became a constant companion and I know it is mine. I can’t leave home without it and I am lost if I don’t have it with me. There is a certain sense of security knowing that the little streamlined version with the “I can do anything” except to jump and do hoops is sitting snugly in my bag gives me a sense of calmness in case I need to call someone if I’m stranded on the side of a road, need help or just to look something up on Google. It’s all there and at your fingertips. I can’t see myself living without it. It is also my go to when I need to look things up without resorting to cumbersome books or whatever else we used to do before this little thing showed up on the scene!

I would say it is the most important invention in my lifetime for more reasons than one and I would be lost without it!

Daily writing prompt
The most important invention in your lifetime is…

My Ideal Day

Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com

How would I describe it? I want to say I would do nothing the whole day long but that is not me so let’s see.

I would stay in my PJs all day if I could! Since that is a no go, I would stay in them part of the day, have a long leisurely breakfast in bed, watch the news and then “hauntings” on TV. I love to spook myself.

After breakfast, I would check emails, write, have another cup of coffee and venture out into the clear blue yonder. A walk in nature would be next on the list and for this I would have to change into sweats. The thing about this village is people don’t care. The women show up in their night clothes, sometimes with rollers in their hair and looking like they had just got out of bed and show up at the bakery or the butcher ready to do what needs to get done. It is an old, old, village and tradition reigns supreme. Not dressing up is one of them! I am trying to not go in that direction but it’s tempting!

Lunch would be a simple affair and more writing would follow if my mind allows it. Some days I draw blanks. A break in between would include workouts of my choice and at the moment it is a combination of cardio and weights. Dinner would be soup and a slice of toast, back into pjs and time to relax and watch some TV. Just before bed, it is meditation time to clear the mind of all that is not needed. Throw in “no problems” and that would make it an ideal day if not a perfect one.

Daily writing prompt
Describe your most ideal day from beginning to end.

Significant Events

I think significant events have changed my perspective on life and I guess it goes without saying.

Divorce or rather the breakup of my marriage made me sit up and take off those rose-colored glasses. I was naive and thought it would last forever but “forevers” are for fairytales not real life. I started looking at life from a different perspective and trust is an issue I deal with constantly. It is getting better but it will take a long time to overcome and to trust again.

Death is another significant event that showed me life is very temporary. Here today, gone tomorrow comes to mind. Losing my mom and then a dear close friend showed me how fragile life is.

These two significant events have caused significant impacts on my life. I can say it was not for the better but I did learn some lessons from them and that is life is fleeting and trust takes time, well trust takes a lifetime to build and just seconds to destroy.

The Clutter!

Photo by Tara Winstead on Pexels.com

I would say hands down the clutter in my office area. I have good intentions but I never get around to it. It looks like a bomb exploded in here, well not quite that bad. I am tidy when it comes to the rest of the house but the office is something else altogether!

There are boxes and boxes of old papers and all kinds of other stuff and if I got started on the chaos, it would take days to get everything filed away and to have some kind of order in here. However, I don’t mind the clutter as there is something comforting about the chaos. I know it well and when I am in this room, my mind runs wild so it fits that scenario! Hard to understand but you have to be me to even grasp that concept!

One day I will get to it but for now it is the kind of clutter I am used to and it serves my creative mind really well.

Daily writing prompt
Something on your “to-do list” that never gets done.

My Favorite Thing to Cook?

Photo by Nonik Yench on Pexels.com

I am a good cook, a talent I got from my mom. She was a really good cook. I have a big collection of cookbooks I collected from my travels around the world and I read them like a book! However, I don’t use the recipes per se, I take them and change them around and it usually turns out great.

Indonesians are great cooks. They can take the simplest of things and turn it into a meal fit for a king or queen. There is one recipe I love from that country. It is made with boiled eggs and a thing they call a chili sambal. Crushed chilies with loads of spices and sauteed with chopped onions served on plain white rice. How can something so simple taste so scrumptiously good? Believe me, it does if you’re into spicy foods as I am.

I make this dish really well. There are other recipes but this one is my favorite and I make it whenever winter rolls around and I need something to warm the soul. It does the trick.

Daily writing prompt
What’s your favorite thing to cook?